04-01-2024 CBN NEWS
The Biden administration received strong criticism for President Joe Biden’s Good Friday declaration calling for “all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity.”
The “Day of Visibility” for transgendered people was Sunday, March 31, which coincided this year with the Easter celebrations of Jesus’ resurrection.
The declaration drew an immediate outcry from Christian leaders in both the evangelical world and government.
Samaritan’s Purse C.E.O. Franklin Graham posted a message Saturday on X, reading in part, “On the most significant day of the Christian calendar, when the Church around the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who died and shed His blood for the sins of mankind, the Biden administration uses this opportunity to flaunt sin, to glorify sin, and to celebrate sin.”
Messianic Jewish columnist and author Michael Brown wrote, “This is not a poorly timed announcement. It is not even a slap in the face. It is a kick below the belt accompanied by a laugh and a smile. It is as insulting as it is perverse, no matter how much we care for our trans-identified friends and colleagues and want them to experience wholeness and freedom in the Lord.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on social media that the White House “betrayed the central tenet of Easter.” He called the decision “outrageous and abhorrent.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson said the administration owes “an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe (Sunday) is for one celebration only – the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded, saying critics “are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful and dishonest rhetoric.” He added, “As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American.”